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How to Walk Away
by Katherine CenterIf your life fell apart, could you start again?The New York Times bestseller.'If you read just one book this year, read How to Walk Away' Nina George, author of The Little Paris BookshopMaggie Jacobsen is just about to step into the bright future she’s worked so hard and so long for: her dream job, a fiancé she adores and the promise of a perfect life just around the corner. But on what should have been the happiest day of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in a single catastrophic moment. In hospital Maggie is forced to confront the unthinkable. First there is her fiancé, Charlie, wallowing in self-pity while demanding forgiveness. Then there’s her sister Kit, who shows up after pulling a three-year vanishing act. Finally there’s Iain, her physical therapist, the one the nurses said was too tough for her. Iain, who won’t let her give in to her despair, who makes her cry, but also manages to make her laugh . . . Maggie’s new life is nothing like she expected. But could it be more than she had ever dared hope for? How to Walk Away by Katherine Center is an uplifting story of learning to live – and love – again.
Carols at Woolworths (Woolworths #3)
by Elaine EverestCarols at Woolworths is a heartwarming novella, and is the prequel to Christmas at Woolworths, by bestselling author Elaine EverestBetty, Freda and Sarah are determined to make the Woolworths Christmas party as jolly as ever. After weeks of careful planning, the girls are confident that it will be an evening for everyone to forget about the troubles of the war outside.But the war is never far away and when an air raid looms, the girls must usher their guests to safety and find a way to take their Christmas cheer underground . . .Will it be a merry Christmas after all for the girls of Woolworths?
Some Sunny Day: A nurse. A soldier. A wartime love story.
by Madge Lambert Robert BlairA moving true story of love on the front lines.It was July 1944 when Madge stepped onto a troopship that was to carry her thousands of miles away from home. Only twenty years old and not long qualified as a nurse, she had signed up to serve in the Burma Campaign. She would be based on the Indian border, near the frontline where a fierce battle was raging between Allied forces and the Japanese.As Madge arrived in Chittagong, she wondered how she would adapt to the ever present danger of invasion and to life in a military hospital. She spent long, exhausting hours nursing the badly-injured young soldiers in her care, but found strength in her friendship with the other nurses. And then, one day, she met Captain Basil Lambert . . . Could their fragile, new found romance survive the terrifying final months of war? Heart-warming and poignant, Some Sunny Day by Madge Lambert is a story of courage, sacrifice and the power of true love.
Secrets at the Beach House
by Diane ChamberlainSecrets at the Beach House was first published in 1989 by Diane Chamberlain as Private Relations, this updated edition contains an added epilogue joining the characters 25 years later to complete this enduring tale of love and friendship.Welcome to the Chapel House, an old oceanfront mansion where a group of close friends share their hopes and dreams . . . and where love is sometimes an unexpected guest.Recovering from her recent divorce, Kit Sheridan finds a safe haven in the grand Jersey shore mansion. But her stay there soon becomes complicated when she falls for Cole Perelle, a young doctor staying at the beach house. Working in the public relations team at the hospital brings her into constant contact with him both at home and at work.Cole, however, has set his heart on another. Estelle’s beauty and high-flying ways are difficult to compete with, but as secrets from the past come to the surface, the lives of the Chapel House residents are about to change forever . . .
In a Country Garden
by Maeve Haran'Wonderfully entertaining . . . Maeve is on cracking form' - Jilly CooperLifelong friends Claudia, Ella, Laura and Sal celebrated sixty as the new forty, determined not to let age change things. But now they are looking at the future and wondering how to make growing old more fun.Why not live together and have sunny afternoons on the lawn, helping and supporting each other when any of them need it - and still keep enjoying life? Joined by Claudia’s reluctant husband and Sal’s energetic new fiancé, they ignore the protests of their children and pool their resources in a lovely manor house in the country. Only Laura holds out, determined she still has some living to do, especially now she has met the dashing Gavin through an online dating app.But life still has plenty of surprises in store plus a little romance in what the locals dub a New Age Old Age Commune. But are your best friends the last people you should end up living with?In A Country Garden is a heartwarming, hilarious tale of growing old not-so-gracefully, from the bestselling author of The Time of Their Lives, Maeve Haran.
Christmas in St Ives
by Miranda DickinsonA wonderfully festive ebook short that will get you excited for the Christmas season, by the author of the bestselling Fairytale of New York.'This is Miranda at her sparkliest best. Christmas In St Ives is Christmassy perfection; brimming with romance, warmth and magic. But it’s not just a novella, it’s a tantalizing prequel to Somewhere Beyond The Sea and I can’t wait to read that!' Cathy Bramley, author of The Lemon Tree Cafe.Heartbroken Cerrie Austin is doing her best to hold it together in the run up to Christmas. Not easy when her cheating ex works in the same school and everyone’s eyes are on her. The last thing she needs is a new teacher meddling in her beloved nativity play, even if he is charming, handsome and a talented musician. The Christmas performance is her pride and joy, and she won’t be undermined.Seren McArthur has recently returned to her Cornish hometown and is enjoying being close to her family and her oldest friends again. St Ives is at its most magical at Christmas, with fairy lights and tinsel in every shop window, tempting locals and holidaymakers alike as they pick up gifts. But an exciting opportunity is just around the corner: will she stay or will she go? Meanwhile, the St Ives Christmas celebrations are in crisis: plans for a giant lantern parade through the starlit streets have ground to a halt. As the snow starts to fall, can Cerrie, Seren and their friends Kieran and Aggie rally around in time to save the big day? 'Christmas in St Ives sparkles with Miranda magic!' Holly Hepburn, author of the bestselling Little Picture House By the Sea series Christmas in St Ives is a charming novella that introduces you to the characters from Miranda Dickinson’s upcoming novel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Available for preorder now!
Shepherdess of Sheep
by Noel StreatfeildVibrant and vivacious, Sarah Onion takes it upon herself to find employment when she is orphaned at nineteen. She becomes an integral part of Charles and Ruth Lane’s household as governess to their four small children, but at what cost? The First World War soon unleashes calamity on the whole family. Charles enlists in the army and is sent to France, Ruth’s heart disease gets increasingly worse, their youngest daughter becomes increasingly difficult to deal with and all the while Sarah is falling in love.Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfeild plunges her reader into tragedy after tragedy but always keeps a light at the end of the tunnel in her wartime family novel, A Shepherdess of Sheep.
Caroline England
by Noel StreatfeildBorn into a very traditional family, Caroline Torry’s childhood is ruled by patriarchy and propriety. She grows up in the gorgeous Milton Manor which has belonged to her family for generations, but the pressure to produce a male heir gradually becomes too much for her mother . . .Despite her troubled upbringing, fifteen years later Caroline has a husband and children of her own. She’s grown into a caring mother and a devoted wife determined to give her family everything that was stripped from her own childhood. But when World War One breaks out things don’t quite go to plan . . .Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfeild navigates through three stages of Caroline’s life with expert skill and finesse in her wartime novel, Caroline England.
The Winter is Past
by Noel StreatfeildPicture a gorgeous English country house, surrounded by manicured lawns and sprawling oak trees. This is Levet, where the Laurence family have lived since the 18th century.Once full of children and excitement, the only Laurences left at Levet now are former actress Sara and her very upper class mother-in-law Lydia. That is until the Second World War erupts and Mrs. Vilder arrives with her three children after being evacuated from their home . . .Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfeild fills Levet with authentic families facing undeniable tragedy in this heart-warming wartime novel, The Winter is Past.
I Ordered a Table for Six
by Noel StreatfeildAdela Framley seems to be a perfect citizen. She’s a proud mother, she runs a charity for homes which have been bombed and wants to hold a dinner party in aid of the charity’s patron, Gardiner Penrose. But are there dark motives behind her good actions?Adela invites a curious mixture of friends and family to a fancy restaurant nearby and over the course of the dinner party we move between each guest’s daily troubles and anxieties . . . until a catastrophic event puts an end to their soiree.Carnegie Award winning author Noel Streatfeild takes us on a thought-provoking tour of tragedy and family life in wartime London in her poignant novel, I Ordered a Table for Six.
Myra Carrol
by Noel StreatfeildMyra Carrol has it all – beauty, kindness and a loving marriage. One afternoon she is searching through her barn for objects which could be of help in the Second World War, when she comes across an old picture of herself . . .She is immediately transported back to the carefree days of her childhood. Raised to be a strong woman by her governess Connie, Myra’s honesty, confidence and angelically beautiful face gave her the best start in life . . . until her father’s death takes her to boarding school.Through nostalgic flashbacks we learn about the events that shaped Myra’s life in this heart-warming family wartime novel by Carnegie Medal winning author, Noel Streatfeild.
Grass in Piccadilly
by Noel StreatfeildOnce fashionable and plush with flowers, post-war Mayfair has lost its dazzling charm. But that didn’t stop Charlotte Nettel and her husband Sir John from swapping life in the quiet northern countryside to convert their roomy Mayfair townhouse into flats.Their tenants come in all shapes and sizes – from pregnant couple Jack and Jenny to German migrants Paula and Heinrich – and they provide a constant stream of both entertainment and anxiety. But it’s Charlotte’s stepdaughter Penny, a disillusioned young women born into the uneasy interwar world, who proves to be the most difficult and scandalous tenant . . .Flashing between the lives of each tenant Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfeild gives us a kaleidoscopic view of post-war London in her ingenious novel, Grass in Piccadilly. For fans of Muriel Spark’s A Far Cry From Kensington.
Mothering Sunday
by Noel StreatfeildSeventy-year-old widowed Anna Caldwell likes to be alone, happy to potter around her garden chatting to her friend Miss Poe. However, the bliss of Anna’s peaceful lifestyle causes her five children much dismay.Jane, the eldest and most organised, gathers her siblings together to visit Anna on Mothering Sunday. Henry the politician, Margaret the doctor and the youngest, Felicity, all agree to attend with their partners . . . but that leaves Tony, the shadow on the family’s respectable past.Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfeild pieces together a startling image of the post-war British family in her novel Mothering Sunday.
Aunt Clara
by Noel StreatfeildSixty-two-year-old Clara leads a virtuous life. She spends all her time helping others and she always puts her friends and family first. It’s a shame that nobody, including her four siblings and their myriad of children, ever stops to say thank you and appreciate all she does.. . . until wealthy Uncle Simon comes into her life. Like Clara, Simon never married, never had children and he lived alone – the two understood each other like no one else in the family could. So when Uncle Simon dies, and leaves very specific wishes to Clara in his will, the path of her life changes in ways she could never imagined.Thrown into the world of circuses, greyhound-racing and dubious house-property, Aunt Clara encounters bizarre incidents and an unlikely love story in this enchanting novel from Carnegie Medal winning author, Noel Streatfeild.
Judith
by Noel Streatfeild'Passionately, as other children collect shells, stamps or bus tickets, Judith collected kind words and kind looks dropped by Mother.'Twelve-year-old Judith has been brought up in Europe by her mother, governess and highbrow uncles and aunts. She’s had her hand held all the way through life – even though that hand has often been cold and distant. Now she’s about to board a plane to England all alone to visit the father who abandoned her . . .Although instead of despising her distant father, Judith finds she really likes him. He treats her as an adult, his side of the family seem to enjoy her company and she finally receives the appreciation she’s always craved from her mother. But is he really as wonderful as he seems?Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfield navigates through complicated family issues in this perceptive coming of age novel, Judith.
The Silent Speaker
by Noel StreatfeildHelen Blair is famous for her dinner parties. She hand picks her guests to ensure that every evening is a success, and tonight’s will be the most memorable dinner party of all . . . An hour after the sparkling evening comes to a close, one of the women takes her own life. There was no indication of her unhappiness during the evening, and this unexpected suicide sends shockwaves through the other guests.As each guest tries to uncover the truth and motive behind this death the narrative unfolds like a multi-stranded detective story. The Silent Speaker is a tragic and enthralling story of suicide from Carnegie Medal winning author, Noel Streatfeild.
It Pays to Be Good
by Noel StreatfeildFlossie Elk was an astonishingly beautiful baby. But whilst her mother Fanny encouraged Flossie to use the power of those dazzling looks, her greengrocer father George stood by the belief that “Beauty is a lure of Satan.”When the First World War breaks out and George joins the army, Fanny sends her daughter to dance academy where Flossie’s beauty can shine like it’s never been able to before. Not before long Flossie is given a starring role on stage, but with less than honourable intentions . . .Carnegie Award winning author Noel Streatfeild explores the dark side of the backstage world, which she knows all too well from her own life, in this witty and enchanting wartime novel, It Pays to be Good.
Parson's Nine
by Noel StreatfeildChristmas is disrupted by the death of a distant relative in the vicarage . . . but with death comes a substantial inheritance for David, Catherine and their nine children.Catherine resolves to send her eldest children, Edras and Tobit, to a preparatory school and she hires a governess for her younger children. Miss Crosby is a passionate woman striving for women’s emancipation – including emancipation for young and clever Judith from the constraints of marriage . . .But as the First World War erupts the family approaches catastrophe, can all nine children emerge from it unscathed? Carnegie Medal winning Noel Streatfeild showcases courage and endurance in her family wartime novel, Parson’s Nine.
Luke
by Noel StreatfeildAndrew and Freda Dawson are enjoying a happy, second marriage in the English countryside with their collective brood of three children. But their idyllic existence is shattered when Freda finds her husband dead one evening . . .It becomes apparent his death was not from natural causes and all evidence points to suicide, but there are lingering doubts about Freda’s role in the death . . . and about the possible role her precocious son Luke could have played.Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfeild delves into the cracks of a seemingly perfect marriage in her interwar family novel, Luke.
The Girl from Paris (Paget Family Saga #3)
by Joan AikenAn elegant Victorian young lady educated at a familiar sounding boarding school in Brussels (think Charlotte Bronte's Villette) and now A Girl From Paris, Ellen Paget is on a (never ending) journey of romantic adventure - often attracting the wrong kind of admiration - in the third and final of Joan Aiken’s regency dramas. Twenty-one-year old Ellen is an intelligent and spirited heroine, whisked away from her teaching profession and unsuitable romance in Brussels by her godmother to become a governess in the household of a grand Parisian Comte. But as the Count's family tensions and their literary salon scene (think George Sand and Baudelaire) are reaching sinister heights, Ellen finds gothic entanglements in the schemes of her brutal father back home in The Hermitage. She must now extract herself from all these ties and discover who her true friends are, in order to find her own happiness.Joan Aiken plunges into the hearts of two contrasting families in this dark and romantic adventure.
The Smile of the Stranger (Paget Family Saga #1)
by Joan AikenStrong, subversive heroine Juliana Paget is forced to flee from her Italian home during the French Revolution in the first of Joan Aiken’s romantic regency adventures, The Smile of a Stranger.Escaping from the horrors of revolutionary France, seventeen year old Juliana embarks on a wild and dangerous journey, crossing the channel in a hot air balloon to the supposed safety of English soil. But what awaits her is far from harmless: an evil aunt, a dangerous prospective husband, and a threatening presence from her past . . . Aiken’s plucky but disarmingly innocent heroine must learn to tell truth from fiction in this gripping romantic adventure.
The Weeping Ash (Paget Family Saga #2)
by Joan AikenTwo intertwining adventures – one of English drama and one of Indian conflict – both meet at the Paget family home in the second of Joan Aiken’s romantic regency adventures, The Weeping Ash. Aiken's earlier heroine Juliana Paget kindly lends The Hermitage Estate to her widowed cousin Thomas and his new wife Fanny – on one condition – that if their missing cousins arrive they must be welcomed in. Little does Juliana know that cousin Thomas is an abusive tyrant who torments his stoic wife, entrapping her in the beautiful Paget house. Thousands of miles away in India, twin Paget cousins Scylla, governess to the old Maharaja's family, and her poet brother Cal are fleeing for their lives with the orphaned royal heir. They must survive a perilous journey - assisted by the dashing Colonel Cameron - across Kafiristan, Afghanistan, Persia, and Turkey before finally arriving at The Hermitage Estate.But the adventure does not stop here. A dark and explosive confrontation awaits the Pagets as Aiken's two spirited heroines strive for independence in this thrilling romantic adventure.
The Five-Minute Marriage
by Joan AikenDelphie Carteret is forced into a dangerous marriage of convenience in Joan Aiken’s stunning regency drama, The Five Minute Marriage. Delphie has been disinherited from her family’s life of luxury and wealth, and as her mother's health and wits deteriorate she has no choice but to seek help from distant relatives. However when she arrives at the family’s grand house she discovers part of their fortune is rightfully hers, and the only way to obtain her inheritance is through a sham marriage to her cousin.Unknowingly Delphie has tangled herself in a web of family rivalry and deceit which goes back for generations. Other members of the family are not just in debt but in the Marshalsea - the debtors' prison described by Dickens. Forced to maintain the charade of her marriage, Delphie is finally drawn into a dramatic fight for her life, and a surprisingly romantic finale on the roof of the family mansion . . .Joan Aiken has woven together an enchanting plot of romance and rivalry that will grip readers till the very end. Fans of Georgette Heyer should definitely make this novel their next read.
Castle Barebane
by Joan Aiken'Joan Aiken writes superbly, with a force, a colour and strength of imagination that one encounters all too rarely today. I loved every moment of it.' London Daily TelegraphStrong and independent Vahalla Montgomery, a heroine straight out of a Henry James novel, abandons her New York career as a journalist to search for her half-brother in Joan Aiken’s gothic novel, Castle Barebane.Wishing to escape from her pretentious New York fiancé, Valla is happy to have an excuse to travel to England, only to discover that her half-brother and his wife have disappeared from their London home – leaving their young two children all alone. Finding Victorian London a gloomy and sinister place, haunted by a series of Ripper style murders, Valla takes the children up to Scotland to a bleak family property known as Castle Barebane. In this Gothic ruin, perched on the edge of a cliff, the mystery surrounding her missing brother only gets darker, and more terrifying . . . This unforgettable tale of love, loss, and human nature is brought to life by Joan Aiken’s vivid story-telling and gripping plot. If you love Virginia Andrews or Nicola Cornick, Joan Aiken should certainly be your next read.
Emma Watson: Jane Austen's Unfinished Novel Completed by Joan Aiken
by Joan AikenJane Austen gave life to the fictional Watson family in 1803, but sadly abandoned them five chapters in – now Joan Aiken completes their story in her ingenious novel, Emma Watson.Emma Watson has been brought up by her aunt in a wealthy and refined household, an educated lifestyle far removed from her widowed father and five siblings. So when her aunt enters into an imprudent second marriage, nineteen-year-old Emma is sent back home and must join her sisters in their pursuit of a husband . . .Aiken takes on the fate of Austen’s characters with confidence and skill, flawlessly entwining themes of loss and love together in this stunning regency pastiche.